Turning Over a New Leaf
by RainingSprinklesDownMyThroat
Summary: After being betrayed, Karin is brought back to Konoha and there's a surprise waiting for her from the Godaime Hokage. Karin X ? pairings undecided :: WARNING: Manga Spoilers up to chapter 486 ::


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**If you aren't COMPLETELY up to date on the newest chapters of Naruto, hit the back button now. Or suffer the major spoilers!**

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_Okay, now that they're gone: _

_I don't know what's going to happen next in Naruto so this is my own branch off from where the manga is currently. _

_[Disclaimer: This story is clearly written by me, the characters are in no way mine, and I don't own Naruto.]_

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"If you run, I won't hesitate to snap your leg in half," warned the pink-haired kunoichi, her thin lips twitching into a sadistic smile.

It was easy for Karin to see that it was no empty threat. Yet, she couldn't run if she wanted to. Her heart had almost been pierced, meaning her life was quietly slipping away at that very moment. The only thing that was denying her death was the pinkette struggling to heal the open wound in the redhead's chest.

It was pathetic, Karin mused, her own existence. All this time she followed the one that she loved, aiding him in achieving his dreams in anyway possible. They all did: her, Suigetsu, and Juugo. They had all risked their lives multiple times, saving each other on more than once occasion. And for what? Sasuke didn't give a damn about her, about them, not one bit. Everything that had once been was gone the second Sasuke fell into total darkness.

When he looked down at her bloody visage from the bridge of his nose he wasn't looking at her at all. Just the opposite, the raven-haired Uchiha was blind now. He was blind with revenge and hatred, so much so that it was all he could see. There was no room in his heart for anyone other than his elder brother and the name Uchiha.

It was kind of depressing that there would be no more days spent trailing after her teammates. Karin would miss the feeling that the three of them instilled deep within her heart. It was a sense of belonging, of family. Though the redhead had rejected it until then, she always knew that was the warmth she had felt in their presence. When she bickered with Suigetsu, when she spoke with Juugo before dawn, and when Sasuke spoke her name. Each and every encounter brought them closer together. They became so close, but now they all seemed so very far away.

Karin's ruby eyes closed as she recalled her last view of the one she had always loved most, Uchiha Sasuke. He was there, surrounded by multiple Zetsu-s and on his left stood Uchiha Madara. With the last of her strength she willed her gaze to remain on the raven-haired man amidst it all before he had vanished.

Now, alone with the girl in red, Karin's vision faded and so did the warmth of unity. Her life with team Taka all began to slip away as her world went black.

_Good-bye . . . guys . . ._

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Thick lashes fluttered open, revealing two red orbs. Unfocused, they took in the surroundings ahead. A wall of white expanded before her eyes, a bulb with five propellers coming from it's center like a flower, and as her vision became clearer there were distinct lines running across the surface creating tiles. It was a familiar setting that caused the redheaded girl to inwardly groan. She was in a hospital.

Her gaze rolled to the side, spying a person fleeing from view out of the corner of her eye. It had been a blonde that raced out of her room and into the hallway beyond. They were aware that she had regained consciousness now. Someone would probably arrive soon to haul her off to interrogation.

The recovering female wondered what methods of torture the leaf nin of Konohagakure had in store for herself. What information did they want from her anyway? Sadly, it was probably all about Sasuke and Orochimaru. Since the latter was dead and the Uchiha had . . . betrayed her, she'd tell them all they wanted to know. She no longer had any ties to them. She was alone.

Despite herself, a tear slid down her cheek.

_**Shinobi Principal #25: **__No matter what the situation a shinobi must keep his feelings on the inside. You must make the mission your top priority and you must possess a heart that never shows tears._

The thought only made her cry more. She couldn't even be considered a ninja now, so what was she? A little girl. Nothing, but a weak and frightened child.

"Karin of Otogakure," came a booming voice that halted the flow of running water.

A fair-haired woman with an enormous chest stood looming over the redhead's sickbed. There were defining features that indicated who she was, such as the blue diamond branding her forehead. It was Senju Tsunade, one of the three legendary sannin, the greatest female medic nin, the Godaime Hokage, she was also known as the legendary sucker among gamblers. Of course Karin knew all this, she couldn't have worked under Orochimaru all her life and never know the history of the man. Once learning of the powerful woman the sound nin looked her up and learned all there was to know of her.

"You are charged with: treason against the five great nations as well as aiding and abetting a traitor of Konoha," continued the woman, her brow furrowed and gaze hardend. "Do you object to these charges?"

Letting her eyes reclose, the redhead tested her voice, swallowing the lump in her throat she said meekly, "No." The word came out hoarser than she had hoped, but at least she could still speak nonetheless.

The Godaime started up again, saying, "In most cases, a criminal such as yourself would be thrown into the interrogation chambers and tortured until you talk, then silently executed. But in this case, the village is stretched a little thin." She took a breath. "So, let me make this simple. This is how it is: you have information we desire and you will disclose it to us, in return you can be redeemed."

Karin's breath hitched, she hadn't seen that one coming.

"It is to my knowledge that you were betrayed by your comrades," stated Tsunade, the slightest bit of sympathy escaping into her voice. "Konohagakure offers you life, a home, and a new start. So, what do you say?"

The girl choked back a laugh. "What do I say?" she repeated, glancing up at the sannin before her in disbelief. There was no hint at a jest in the woman's soft brown eyes.

A flood of memories swam through Karin's mind: working as Orochimaru's subordinate, meeting Sasuke for the first and second time, becoming team Hebi, camping out under the stars, crashing the Five Kage Summit, and her last image of Sasuke, bleeding and coldhearted.

Without anymore hesitation, she replied, "What do you want to know?"

The Hokage smiled with satisfaction, saying, "Everything."

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It was after a week that Karin was allowed outside. She had dressed in her regular clothes, her gray long-sleeved top, showing off her midriff, her black short-shorts, and high knee ninja boots with the open toe. The girl's wounds had finally healed and her questioning was finished off. To her surprise the interrogator, Ibiki Morino, was merciful. He had simply asked the questions, retrieved the answers, and sent her on her way. Now, she was to report to the Hokage's tower for introductions. Tsunade had told her that she was to be presented to a few shinobi of her age group and the like so as to get used to the village. The idea itself made her groan. The redheaded teenager had never gotten along well with others, which is why she enjoyed her previous work that was carried out in solitude. Now she was a member of the most prissy village in all of the shinobi world.

After Pein's invasion, most of the buildings were either demolished or under construction. Only a few were fully completed. Even so, she'd walked passed an up and running flower shop on the way through town. A freakin' _flower_ shop! What do ninjas need flowers for? Who kills their enemies with pansies, for Christ's sake!

The whole cheery demeanor of the town gave the former rogue nin an uneasy feeling. There was no way that she'd get used to such a laidback place. The sounds of children laughing as they darted past, playing a game of 'ninja' made the redhead's skin prickle. It was such an unfamiliar and foreign thing to her. It made the whole atmosphere scream 'happy-go-lucky' despite how it really looked. The whole place was a wreck and a half.

With a deep breath, Karin readjusted her glasses and marched up the steps to the tower's door. Opening the wooden barrier and stepping inside, she found a barren hallway. Wandering to her left, as she recalled it to be the direction of the door she required, the crimson-haired girl stopped before a door marked with a plaque reading: **Hokage**.

With a nervous gulp, she shakily reached toward the gold-painted doorknob. With the steady turn and a gentle push, the door creaked open to expose the Hokage's office. Inside the room stood several different people. Tsunade, the Godaime's assistant Shizune, and three others.

"Welcome, Karin," addressed the blonde leader, causing all eyes in the room to turn the girl in question's way. Feeling the heat rise under her skin, the redhead side stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her.

There was a young girl about her age with long voluptuous blonde hair tied atop her head, with side bangs sweeping to cover one side of her face. She wore a purple halter top with a matching skirt with a pair of black heels. Beside her stood two boys, one tall and the other fat. The taller of the two appeared to be the leader, wearing the standard issue leaf green vest over a long-sleeved black top coordinated with black ninja pants. His hair was dark brown and pulled into a tight ponytail at the back of his skull, the ends of his hair shooting out into spikes. The other one was rather large and his fringe was big and puffy resembling a soft brown porcupine. That one wore all red with gray plate-like armor and a red head band across his brow.

Behind her desk, the Hokage called forth everyone's attention by clearing her throat. Then she began, "I've already explained the situation and you three have no more objections, so as of today, Karin, you will be the fourth member of team Asuma."

The girl blanched, eyes widening as she re-inspected her new 'team'. And the 'no more objections' was not lost on her either. They had refused at first. That made her feel welcome . . . yeah right.

"As you will find out, your abilities will match nicely with this squad, but I'll let them fill you in on that part later," resumed the blonde leader, "For now, they will escort you around Konoha and get you familiar with the village. Understand?"

Karin nodded, it wasn't like she had much else of a choice. Well, death was always an option, but not a very tempting one.

"Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, I leave her in your capable hands."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" the three chorused, breaking rank to walk over to where their newest teammate stood.

The leader was the one to speak first, saying, "Let's head outside and talk."

The new team Asuma left the Hokage's tower in silence, all of them with different thoughts weighing heavily on their minds. They had been informed that Karin had once been loyal to Orochimaru, been a part of team Taka, and then betrayed by Sasuke.

"I'm Nara Shikamaru," introduced the taller boy, once they had stopped outside on the road. Next, he jabbed a thumb at the boy beside him and said, "Akimichi Chouji."

Chouji grinned in response, greeting her with a, "Hey, there."

Following up, the Nara's brunette head inclined to the right where the blonde girl stood and labeled her, "Yamanaka Ino."

"Nice to meet you," welcomed Ino, giving her new teammate a small smile, accompanied by a wave.

Then Shikamaru started off with, "We heard the story about your past from Tsunade-sama and we know that you've already been questioned, so it won't be brought up again." With that a genuine smile broke across his face when he informed her, "Because from now on, you're our comrade, a member of team Asuma, and above all a Leaf shinobi. Got it?"

Karin was near shell-shocked. They didn't care? She was the old pal of enemy 1 in the five great nations at the moment and they just threw all that out the window? What kind of village was this? The redhead wondered to herself.

Still, they were willing to except her, a useless girl like her.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, feeling the same annoying warmth in her face as before. Shaking off the strange feeling and crossing her arms over her chest, the redhead stated with more confidence, "I'm Karin and I guess that it won't totally suck to be a part of your team."

The blonde and Chouji chuckled at her statement, while Shikamaru asked, "So, are you ready to see Konoha?"

"Yeah, let's get this over with," grumbled the new leaf nin, rolling her ruby orbs.

The four of them set out to view the town, Ino pointing out local shops, Chouji filling her in on where to get the best food, and Shikamaru locating all the important landmarks. The three of them were obviously good friends, seeing as how they laughed and squabbled happily. And when Karin was sure no one was paying attention she let herself smile with them for a brief moment.

Maybe living in a sissy village with these misfit ninja wouldn't be so horrible, she considered optimistically.

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**Author's Note:**

How'd you like it so far? I know it's short, but I wrote it all overnight. I wanted to get the idea down before I lost it.

It will be a romance piece, with Karin as the leading heroine. I have yet to decided whom she will end up with. I dislike knowing the end result before I've written it, I enjoy just letting the words flow from my fingers and take me through a story that's a surprise to even myself. So, if you have a certain pairing you like please feel free to voice it, if I like it I may write it.

**To answer a few questions you might have had while reading this**:

--I sort of sped up the resurrection of Konohagakure, considering that it was decimated only a little while ago. It's still under construction and their just now getting it together.

--I also woke Tsunade up from her coma, because I prefer her as a leader over Kakashi. Though, in my mind he is still the acting 6th Hokage, his position is just temporarily postponed due to his wish to keep searching for Sasuke with his team.

--I chose to add Karin to team Asuma for multiple reasons: their abilities, the fact that with Asuma gone there is room for a new member, and I just like them.

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**Thanks for reading! **

**Please review: tell me what you thought, say your favorite Karin pairing, or give me some criticism!**

_Peace&Love, RainingSprinklesDownMyThroat._

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